


Tell You A Secret

by Oswald_Nygmobblepot



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Detective Comics (Comics)
Genre: Batman - Freeform, Detective Comics, Detective Comics Annual #8 (1995), The Riddler - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-01-03
Packaged: 2019-02-27 15:16:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13250937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oswald_Nygmobblepot/pseuds/Oswald_Nygmobblepot
Summary: Riddle me this! What was Riddler's childhood really like? Inspired by a scene in Detective Comics Annual#8





	Tell You A Secret

> "Tell you a secret ... I'm an only child. Lots of times I'd hear my parents fighting. One night I crawled out of bed and listened. They were blaming each other for something. Really going at it. Dishes and pans flying. Know what? They were blaming each other for me." 
> 
> \- Detective Comics Annual #8 (1995)

  
  


Eddie lay quietly in bed, his thin blanket pulled up to his chin as he stared at the bare wall in front of him. He was breathing softly as he heard another plate shatter. This wasn’t unusual, muffled screams filtering through the vents into his room, so muffled he could not hear the words that were being strewn at each other like weapons. 

He sometimes laid in bed and wished he could be like other kids in school. Like Ronnie, who seemed to have the best of everything. Even bragged about what his parents did for a living. His parents didn’t seem to do much of anything. His mother had never worked in his living memory, and his father worked a day job that Eddie knew little about but his father never ceased to stop complaining about. 

Yeah, he wished he could be like Ronnie, who was likely sleeping a nice warm bed, in a room filled with toys, getting kissed good night by his mom and dad. Not having to tuck himself in while his parents fought. It was louder than usual, and more things were breaking, and this didn’t strike Eddie as odd, but it scared him. He wondered if it would be one of the times where his dad would come up here and start taking things out on him. 

But that was his dad … It was just the alcohol talking. Just the alcohol that was making him do these things, and on more than one occasion Eddie had wondered why his father just didn’t stop drinking the alcohol if it made him do such bad things. 

It was loud enough tonight that Eddie could almost hear what they were saying. Almost. They were blaming each other for something. But for what, he couldn’t hear. The curiosity got the better of him as he pushed his old blanket down, and slipped down onto the floor, barely able to reach the floor from his bed he was so small.    
He quietly, very quietly, pushed his bedroom door opened and moved to the stair railing. He couldn’t see them, the kitchen was below him, but he could see shadows moving in the stream of light that bathed into the entryway from the kitchen. 

“This is all your fault! All your fucking god damn fault!” He heard his father yell, and something smashed. He saw bits of shadow flying as he saw his mother’s shadow duck, a flew bits of broken dish scattering into the entryway, and suddenly there was a frying pan in her hand. 

“My fault?!” She screamed, and a large shadow, his father’s, stalked towards her. The frying pan came down but his father dodged it easily, ripping it painfully from his hand. Eddie wished they would stop fighting, he hated it when his parents fought. “How is he my fault?!” 

_ He?  _ Eddie thought curiously. Wondering just what his parents were fighting about. 

“You should have used god damn protection, you know that. How could you have been so goddamn stupid?!” His father yelled at her and Eddie flinched as he heard flesh connecting with flesh. Eddie couldn’t take this anymore. He backed away from the stairwell and moved slowly to his room. 

“Protection? You should have used a god damn condom!” His mother yelled and that made Eddie paused. He knew condoms were used when you didn’t want a baby. Even if he was so young, he knew that. Heard his father and his friends talking about ‘precautions’ and ‘protection’. Was mom pregnant? Was he going to have a little brother? Eddie felt a smile tug on his lips. Even if mom and dad fought all the time, at least then he’d have someone to have fun with. Someone he could be with when they fought and he’d make his brother happy! He would! He’d be a good big brother!    
  
He went back to the railing, his little hands wrapping around the bannister realizing he’d missed some of the conversation. “-already so god damn expensive, and now they want me to spend how much on school supplies next month?” His father hissed, Eddie was confused now. Could they maybe not afford to have the baby? Because of him? 

“Honestly, I wish the little brat had never been born!” His father said and that made Eddie flinch in shock. He knew his father didn’t particularly like him, but that was just because Eddie was bad sometimes, and the other times it was the alcohol talking. But maybe it was the alcohol now. 

“You do?” His mother asked. “If you hadn’t fucking knocked me up, he wouldn’t even be a problem now would he?” His mother yelled and Eddie felt his eyes starting to tear him. His mom wasn’t pregnant after all. Eddie may be young, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew they were talking about him. “That MISTAKE is your fault!” 

And dishes started flying again. Eddie’s breathing picked up as he backed away from the stairs. “YOU RUINED MY LIFE!” His father yelled and Eddie ran back to his room. He felt hot tears streaming down his face as he closed the door behind him. A mistake was he? He shook his head. He should have stayed in bed where he couldn’t hear. Shouldn’t have listened. 

He pulled his dresser open and pulled out a tshirt and pants. Picked up his backpack that he’d used for nursery school last year. He shoved his clothes in, and his old beat up teddy bear that he got from the neighbour lady, and slung it over his shoulder.    
  
Wait, no … He couldn’t go anywhere like this. He got out of his pajamas, put on some clothes, and shoved his pajamas on top of his teddy. He pulled on the backpack again. Well, if he was such a problem, he’d make himself not a problem. 

He pushed his bedroom window open and climbed out onto the porch roof. He didn’t bother closing it. Mom and dad could freeze for all he cared. He was too mad and upset to care. He walked along the roof to the side where he could see the neighbours tree house. It wasn’t far. He could jump it. 

He took a quick run and jumped as far as he could. He hit the treehouse’s side, his hand’s scrambling to grab the top of it but he couldn’t get a hold and he fell into the bushes below. He whimpered in pain but for the most part he was fine other than he few little cuts. But he was tough. He even didn’t cry sometimes when dad hit him. 

He climbed out of the bush and to the front gate, pushing it open and closing it quietly before making his way down the street, determined never to be a problem for his parents ever again. 


End file.
